2009 saw some exemplary games hit the marketplace; however, it also had its fair share of duds. To begin Endsights’ end of the year gaming awards, we take a look at the titles that were frustrating and/or simply disappointing. Whether it’s caused by poor control mapping, tired storylines, outdated graphics, or a combination of those factors and more, these were the games in 2009 that made us shake our heads with annoyance.

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Art Green – Killzone 2 (PS3)

Perhaps it’s unfair to label a game most disappointing of the year when I have not completed it, but Killzone 2 is just that. It says something that I have not reached a completion screen after two different attempts to muscle through the game.

While the graphics are indisputably some of the best on display this generation, the rest of the package falls short. The shooting feels sluggish and inaccurate, and the story surrounding the game could not be more of a generic snoozefest.

From the Gears of War-esque characters (minus charm), to the boring plot, Killzone 2 simply didn’t grab me in the way I thought it would.

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Nate Seites - Darkest of Days (360)

The concept of Darkest of Days isn’t horrible – in fact, it’s pretty neat. Going back in time with futuristic weapons to fight in wars is something we’ve all though about. It’s unfortunate that this game falls hard on its face immediately. When you boot up the game, you’re greeted with the plainest title screen in the history of title screens featuring a black screen, a menu, and a boring looking gun.

Starting the actual game you’ll see numerous cookie-cutter characters, terrible AI, bland visuals, and stiff gameplay. Enduring this game to completion is an achievement on its own. The futuristic weapons never come in to play as often as they should, and little about the game makes sense.

Though the story does sort of pick up towards the end, it just isn’t worth it. Stay away from this one at all costs. It is worth mentioning that the game does feature one cool thing, punching horses in the face.

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Brandy Shaul – The Conduit (Wii)

The Conduit was supposed to be a shining beacon of hope and light for mature titles on the Wii – an example that other companies could look to as inspiration for their own forays into that untapped portion of the Wii audience. However, the final product was anything but.

The disappointment that comes from the game’s predictable, shallow storyline is only compacted by a horrible camera system that fights your every attempt to strategically aim or rotate your view, nondescript and repetitive environments, and linear gameplay that has you simply clearing one room of enemies after another, ad nauseum.

Even the game’s 12 person online multiplayer couldn’t save the experience, due to its reliance on the otherwise fairly useless Wii Speak add-on. Unfortunately for Sega, the Conduit simply couldn’t live up to the hype, and it is definitely my most disappointing gaming experience of 2009.

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Talor Berthelson – Wolfenstein (360)

My review of Wolfenstein really says it all, but it simply cannot be overstated. I was thoroughly disappointed on the whole with Wolfenstein with its mostly bland single player and abysmal multiplayer offering. The game could have been so much more than it was if the developers had just taken some notes from the original Xbox game and improved upon that formula.

The multiplayer mode’s biggest problem is that its upgrade system is completely broken; as in, your money and upgrades were entirely lost constantly. This issue caused me to lose interest in the game quicker than I thought I initially would, earning it a spot on this list.

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Denis Poirier - Brütal Legend (360)

Brütal Legend had quite the pedigree going for it. The game is produced by Tim Schafer, a brilliant storyteller, stars Jack Black as the main protagonist, and features a heavy metal backdrop. With all of those in place, one might wonder what could possibly make this a disappointing game.

For one thing, it tries to blend two different genres into its gameplay, but doesn’t quite succeed. The fantastic and frantic hack-and-slash portions of the game are completely abandoned halfway through for some uneven and boring real-time strategy elements. As for the story, well, let’s just say I expected more from a man who gave us such classics as Monkey Island and Psychonauts. It’s not horrible, and there are a couple of very funny parts here and there, but it doesn’t quite live up to Schafer’s brilliant repertoire.

I expected so much more out of Brütal Legend. I think that, if it would have stayed the course with the hack-and-slash gameplay elements and delivered a script worthy of a Tim Schafer game, things would have been different. Better luck next time, I guess.

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Chuck Waltz – Brütal Legend (360… again)

This category is a pretty easy choice for me – Brütal Legend. I have a feeling a lot of people (aside from myself and Denis) feel the same way about Tim Schafer’s latest, and rightfully so. Ever since I started to hear word of this metal-infused Schafer piece, I couldn’t help but get excited. Unfortunately, shortly before the game was released, it started to become apparent that this was going to be a very ambitious game with strategy elements mixed into the hack and slash game play, which started to get me a bit worried.

Sure enough, I felt the game was brought to its knees because of this, resulting in a jumble of design choices that made it impossible for the game to live up to expectations. Now don’t get me wrong, Brutal Legend was still a fairly enjoyable experience, but it’s without a doubt the one game this year that made me go “Ugh”.

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Check back tomorrow as we continue our look at the games of 2009.